Seat Arona preview: ‘A savvy little car’ | Martin Love

Is a 1-litre engine enough? The new compact crossover from Seat proves you can pack a punch no matter your size

Seat Arona
Price 15,555
Top speed 113mph
0-62mph 11.2 seconds
MPG 57.6
CO₂ 111g/km

For a certain generation of people, the idea of a 1-litre engine is total anathema. For them, the very thought of a power unit with less than 1,000cc is laughable - like asking a weedy toddler with a terminal case of nappy rash to 'tow the truck' - it's just not going to get you anywhere. But the Arona, the award-winning new city crossover from Seat, not only features a diminutive 1-litre engine, it's also the size that the Spanish manufacturer recommends. Not only that, brace yourselves, the tiny little engine has also only got three cylinders, an uneven number which old-timers would consider with deep suspicion.